By defeating an armada of Spanish ships, England ended Spain’s control of the seas. This opened the way for other European powers to colonize the New World. After making several unsuccessful attempts to establish a colony, England founded the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown in 1607. For several years the colony experienced hard times and many settlers died. By 1619, however, it became clear that the colony would stay.
There were many different reasons for founding colonies in America. The members of the Virginia Company hoped to make a large profit. Other colonies were founded in a search for religious freedom. Pilgrims trying to escape persecution in England settled in Plymouth. In time, Puritans from England established the Massachusetts Bay Company. Connecticut and Rhode Island were established by people who disagreed with the leaders of the Puritan colony. In many cases the early colonists would not have survived without the help of Native Americans. However, conflicts also arose.
The Dutch had established colonies along the Hudson River and on Manhattan Island. After being taken over by the English, these settlements became the English colonies of New York and New Jersey. Another Middle Colony, Pennsylvania, was founded as a home for Quakers.
Maryland, a Southern Colony, was a place where Catholics could freely practice their religion. Agriculture played an important role in the development of North and South Carolina, while Georgia—the last of the British colonies in America—was established as a home for debtors. Many people came willingly to this new land to make a fresh start. Others were brought unwillingly to America as enslaved people or indentured servants. From the very beginning America was a country with a diverse population.
As the American colonies grew, each region developed an economy based on its own resources and geography. New England focused on fishing, shipbuilding, and trade. The fertile soil of the Middle Colonies supported farming. Many businesses and some manufacturing also developed there. New York and Philadelphia became the largest cities in the colonies. In the South, tobacco and rice were the major cash crops. The triangular trade of the New England colonies brought enslaved Africans to work on the large plantations of the South.
The English principles of limited government and representative government greatly influenced the development of the colonies, and, later, of the United States. As the colonies grew they relied more and more on their own governments to make local laws. By the 1760s there were three types of colonies in America—charter colonies, proprietary colonies, and royal colonies. The Great Awakening, a religious revival, swept through the colonies during the 1720s and 1740s and led to the formation of many new churches. As a distinctly American culture developed, it was influenced by a strong belief in education and the ideas of the Enlightenment.
As the growing population of the American colonies pushed up against French-held territory, hostility between Britain and France increased. Both sides recognized the importance of making allies among the Native Americans. In 1753 George Washington led a mission into the Ohio country to demand that the French leave the area. When they refused, he returned several months later with a militia group but was defeated. His defeat marked the beginning of the French and Indian War. The fighting in the colonies was only one part of a war involving Britain, France, and Spain that lasted from 1754 to 1763. By 1763 Britain had won, marking the end of France as a power in North America.
The American Journey
Unit 2
Chapter 3: Colonial America
Chapter Overviews
By defeating an armada of Spanish ships, England ended Spain’s control of the seas. This opened the way for other European powers to colonize the New World. After making several unsuccessful attempts to establish a colony, England founded the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown in 1607. For several years the colony experienced hard times and many settlers died. By 1619, however, it became clear that the colony would stay.There were many different reasons for founding colonies in America. The members of the Virginia Company hoped to make a large profit. Other colonies were founded in a search for religious freedom. Pilgrims trying to escape persecution in England settled in Plymouth. In time, Puritans from England established the Massachusetts Bay Company. Connecticut and Rhode Island were established by people who disagreed with the leaders of the Puritan colony. In many cases the early colonists would not have survived without the help of Native Americans. However, conflicts also arose.
The Dutch had established colonies along the Hudson River and on Manhattan Island. After being taken over by the English, these settlements became the English colonies of New York and New Jersey. Another Middle Colony, Pennsylvania, was founded as a home for Quakers.
Maryland, a Southern Colony, was a place where Catholics could freely practice their religion. Agriculture played an important role in the development of North and South Carolina, while Georgia—the last of the British colonies in America—was established as a home for debtors. Many people came willingly to this new land to make a fresh start. Others were brought unwillingly to America as enslaved people or indentured servants. From the very beginning America was a country with a diverse population.
Chapter 3 Basic Vocab
Chapter 3 Review Quiz
Chapter 4: The Colonies Grow
Chapter Overviews
As the American colonies grew, each region developed an economy based on its own resources and geography. New England focused on fishing, shipbuilding, and trade. The fertile soil of the Middle Colonies supported farming. Many businesses and some manufacturing also developed there. New York and Philadelphia became the largest cities in the colonies. In the South, tobacco and rice were the major cash crops. The triangular trade of the New England colonies brought enslaved Africans to work on the large plantations of the South.The English principles of limited government and representative government greatly influenced the development of the colonies, and, later, of the United States. As the colonies grew they relied more and more on their own governments to make local laws. By the 1760s there were three types of colonies in America—charter colonies, proprietary colonies, and royal colonies. The Great Awakening, a religious revival, swept through the colonies during the 1720s and 1740s and led to the formation of many new churches. As a distinctly American culture developed, it was influenced by a strong belief in education and the ideas of the Enlightenment.
As the growing population of the American colonies pushed up against French-held territory, hostility between Britain and France increased. Both sides recognized the importance of making allies among the Native Americans. In 1753 George Washington led a mission into the Ohio country to demand that the French leave the area. When they refused, he returned several months later with a militia group but was defeated. His defeat marked the beginning of the French and Indian War. The fighting in the colonies was only one part of a war involving Britain, France, and Spain that lasted from 1754 to 1763. By 1763 Britain had won, marking the end of France as a power in North America.
Chapter 4 Basic Vocab
Chapter 4 Review Quiz